Lightning lit up skies around the Puget Sound on Thursday night, and another big rainstorm is on its way to Western Washington. But KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says none of the incoming weather systems are likely to outshine the extraordinary display of lightning that hit the region last Saturday night.

Despite a summer that has been relatively cool overall, a warm area of surface water has formed off the West Coast. It’s about 3-5 degrees warmer than normal for the eastern Pacific Ocean and covers about 6.5 million square kilometers, from Alaska to Hawaii to California. It has put federal fisheries and marine scientists on alert.

Most people have had that classic summer experience of driving along a warm road and seeing a shimmering patch ahead that looks like water. But when you get there, it’s gone. This is a trick of the atmosphere, caused by different densities of the air, associated with temperature.

KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says people ask him about mirages all the time. Among the “most famous" ones, he says, is that "water on the road" mirage — a result of bent light, as the layers of air act like a lens.

A push of marine air from the cold Pacific Ocean that came in Thursday night is bringing morning clouds to the greater Puget Sound region. These low clouds typically burn off by noon, though they can stick around longer.

KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass expects Friday and Saturday to provide sunny afternoons, with the clouds opening up to blue skies and temperatures in the mid- to upper-70s.

Low clouds have lingered over much of the Puget Sound region in recent days, the latest evidence that this summer stands in stark contrast to the hot, smoky, straw-hat weather of the past two years.

KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says Friday temperatures will only get into the lower 70s. And he says the weekend will be dominated by more of those lower temps, thanks to the presence of an upper level trough.

August was off to a warm and sunny start Thursday, with blue skies and nearly perfect summer weather.

But people in the Puget Sound region woke up to as much as a half an inch of rain that fell overnight; on the coast, the precipitation totaled as much as an inch and a half. Temperatures dropped quite a bit, too.

KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass said a strong front came through and brought along an intense band of showers.

With all the bright sun, blue skies and warm temperatures that have dominated Puget Sound weather recently, it’s a little ironic to see showers in the forecast for Saturday. This weekend is the one anyone planning a major outdoor event in the Northwest typically aims for, says KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass.

Summertime in the northwest can provide a remarkably mellow atmosphere, with lots of clouds, temperatures that hover around 70 degrees and the kind of sprinkles that evaporate on your skin almost as soon as they land. Low clouds often filter the light and you can enjoy the soft focus all around.

That’s the kind of weather people in most of western Washington can look forward to for the next several days.

Summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is upon us — marked in Seattle by the colorful Fremont Parade (famous, among other things, for body-painted cyclists). Though the sun sets after 9 p.m., it’s not the sunniest part of summer. June in the Pacific Northwest typically means lots of low clouds, our annual "June Gloom."

That’s been tempered lately by lots of iridescent clouds — another feature of the season that is fed by the sun’s position, high up in the sky. KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass expects a little of both this weekend.

The mercury hit a record-breaking 95 degrees at Sea-Tac Airport Wednesday, causing a road to buckle in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood in a dramatic display of what heat can do to infrastructure.

But where there was heat, there were none of the wildfires some folks often associate with warmer temperatures. In a somewhat ironic twist, the risk of wildfires in the region increased Friday as a push of cooler marine air surged in off the ocean, bringing the low clouds locals more often associate with June weather, sometimes known as "June gloom."

Many people woke up to big patches of blue sky in the Puget Sound region Friday, especially in the South Sound. But KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says the sun breaks will yield to cloudier weather as low pressure moves into the region. And a rare batch of thunderstorms is expected to douse and excite parts of the state.

It's going to be a beautiful several days, and we can expect lots of sunshine. But as we look toward what's expected in the next week or month, there is some uncertainty. In KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass' blog post this week, he talks about the reliability of extended forecasts. He says forecasting models are "quite good" out about a week.

There will be a few more wet, cool days before the weather transitions on Sunday to warm and sunny. The drier conditions have many state officials worried about the wildfire season. Gov. Jay Inslee announced a drought declaration this week, but KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says things may not be as bad as they seem.

The wet season has returned to Western Washington, with showers and all out rain alternating through early next week, a continuation of the pattern we’ve been seeing for a while.

“But none of that’s going to be that heavy. And the reason is, most of the weather is going into California,” said KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass, who teaches atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington.

There’s a key weather battle that plays out every summer. It determines how warm (or hot) conditions can get in the Puget Sound region. It’s the tug of war between onshore and offshore flow, says KNKX weather expert Cilff Mass.

If you’re tired of all the precipitation that has been raining down on the Northwest since early April, take heart. KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass promises this weekend will be dry and even a bit sunny.

Major April showers are dousing the Pacific Northwest, and they're bringing more than flowers. Environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp talked with weather expert Cliff Mass, who provided the latest forecast and an update on the water situation in the region following an unusually dry March.

Stay indoors or get out the Gore-Tex this weekend if you’re going outside in Western Washington. KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says a triple whammy of weather systems will douse the region, providing some relief from our record-dry March and only a few dry periods over the next few days.

“We’re going to have three rain events over the next 72 hours,” Mass said Friday morning. “The drought of March is going to be over.”

Another warm, dry weekend is in the forecast for western Washington, adding to what has been an unusually parched month of March. KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says he expects this to become the second-driest March ever recorded at Sea-Tac Airport, going all the way back to 1948.

A weather front approaching the Puget Sound region on Friday morning held the promise of precipitation sure to be welcomed by residents suffering from watery eyes, sinus pain, coughs and running noses.

Many people’s allergies were triggered this week when a sudden storm of tree pollen was brought on by record heat.

Snow showers mixed with rain on Thursday and Friday were the final hurrah for the cold that's had the Puget Sound region in its grip since early February. KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says a sunny weekend is in store, with steadily warming temperatures. He says the threat of lowland snow is over.

If you live in Western Washington and sunny, clear blue skies tend to lift your mood, you’re in luck. KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass says temps will be in the mid-40s or higher with plenty of sun and no rain until early next week. He calls this kind of weather “totally boring.”

With temperatures hovering around freezing in places and the snow level dropping, several parts of Western Washington saw snow flurries Friday morning. How much more snow will fall in the coming days and whether it will stick are highly uncertain, says KNKX weather expert Cliff Mass.